


The Stuff of Dreams

by Aquata



Category: Rush Hour (TV 2016)
Genre: First Kiss, M/M, Romance, Sleepy Lee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-09-12 21:41:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9091849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aquata/pseuds/Aquata
Summary: A tough case has Lee working himself into the ground and Carter is worried about him. But sometimes sleep deprivation can make you slip up and reveal certain feelings that would otherwise remain hidden.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally going to be a short part of something else but then it developed into something much longer and I decided to make it a stand alone fic.
> 
> Let me know what you think!

Carter stared blankly at his computer screen, taking in none of the information displayed there. It was late and most people had gone home hours ago, leaving their area of the building quiet and still. Even Captain Cole had finally stopped pacing her office and left for the evening. Now the only sounds were the distant noises of the night shift doing their jobs and the scratch of Lee's pen as he wrote notes, although Carter didn't know what he was finding to write about. They were at a complete standstill on the case.

He peered around his screen to look at his partner, wondering if it was time to try to convince him to leave again. Lee looked exhausted, the product of working late for too many nights in a row in an attempt to close this case. Carter had eventually had to leave without him the previous few evenings, giving in to the tiredness that his partner was steadily ignoring and going home to pass out in preparation for the next day of work. But he was determined not to leave without him this time.

"Hey, it's getting late," he started, keeping his gaze fixed on Lee. "Maybe we should-"

"I am not leaving," Lee cut him off, shooting him a tired look. "Go without me if you want to."

Carter sighed, used to this battle by now. They had been having the same conversation for days now and he still hadn't figured out how to win. As he watched, Lee turned back to his notes, blinking sluggishly for a few moments before carrying on. Carter took the time to consider his appearance. He looked even worse today, dark circles under his eyes and a grim tiredness in his expression. He was convinced that Lee was only awake right now because of the sheer amount of coffee he had been consuming.

He understood why Lee was doing it though, even if he didn't agree with the lengths he was going to. Their current case involved two ex-members of the Quantou, who had somehow survived the organisation's violent end and started their own spree of crime in the heart of Los Angeles, boldly marking each of their crime scenes with the symbol of the Quantou.

They had been searching for days in an effort to stop them but they hadn't had any luck. Lee was working himself into the ground and it hurt to watch, hurt that there was nothing Carter could do to stop him. He knew it was personal for Lee. This was the organisation that had killed his parents and almost taken his sister from him. But that didn't make it any easier to see his partner like this.

"Lee, you need to sleep," Carter said, getting up and walking around his desk, eyeing the heaps of files that Lee had been working his way through in a search for anything that could give them a lead.

"I'm fine," Lee answered, tilting his head to look up at him, but it was obvious that he was struggling to keep his eyes open.

"Like hell you are," Carter replied, determined to stand firm this time, just as he had been all the previous times until Lee had turned those sad eyes on him, evaporating his resistance with just a look. "You're exhausted. You're no use to anyone like this. Look I can drive you home and then we can come back tomorrow and-"

"Carter," Lee sighed, sounding so tired that Carter just wanted to curl around him and protect him from all of this. He watched as Lee rubbed a hand over his eyes, his shoulders slumping with fatigue.

"Lee," he said softly, reaching out to rest a hand on his shoulder and was surprised when Lee simply allowed the touch, making no move to shake it off or to imply that he didn't need the comfort. "Please, Lee. I'm worried about you."

"I have to do this," Lee said, sounding defeated. "I have to..."

"I know," Carter agreed. "But even you have to sleep sometimes."

He watched as Lee's gaze turned back to the notes in front of him, his eyes tired and unfocused. His hand twitched as if he was going to carry on writing but he didn't seem to even have the energy for that, instead staring hazily down at the paper. Carter waited, hoping that he would agree to leave soon, letting his attention wander to the notes Lee had been taking.

"Um...Lee?" he said after a moment. "You realize that's not English, right?" He watched Lee squint tiredly at the paper, slow realization dawning on him as he saw that partway down the page he had had started a new paragraph and switched to Chinese.

"Man, if you don't even know what language you're writing then it's definitely time to go home," Carter told him matter of factly. Lee groaned, burying his head in his hands, and Carter's heart went out to him. He hated seeing him like this but he hoped that he was getting somewhere.

"I'm sorry," Lee said eventually, tipping his head back to meet Carter's eyes. "I have been unreasonable."

"Well, maybe a little," Carter said with a fond smile. "But it's okay."

"I just... I need to stop them."

"And we will," Carter promised him. "But right now, you need to sleep."

Lee nodded slowly, finally getting to his feet, and Carter sighed with relief, giving him only the briefest of moments before he was herding him towards the exit so that he wouldn't have a chance to change his mind. They walked to the car in silence but Carter couldn't help sneaking looks across at his partner. Lee looked like he was about to fall asleep on his feet, exhaustion dragging at his every move, and Carter was tempted to reach out to support him just in case he actually passed out.

It wasn't long before they were on the road, making their way through the mostly empty streets as he drove Lee home. They stopped at a red light and Carter started to reach out a hand to turn the radio on but a quick glance at Lee had him halting that action. He was fast asleep, head tipped back against the seat and eyes closed peacefully. He looked relaxed for the first time in days and Carter ached to reach out and touch him. The streetlights sent shadows dancing across his face and he looked so beautiful in the soft light that Carter found it difficult to look away.

When he finally turned his attention back to the road, it was to find that the light had turned green and he had no idea how long it had been that way. He pulled away, forcing himself to focus on the road ahead and not his slumbering passenger. And if he took the long way around, reluctant to wake him and ruin this moment, then Lee never had to know that.

Seemingly all too soon Carter was parking the car outside Didi's, looking across at his still sleeping partner, not wanting to wake him but knowing he had to. He watched him for a moment longer, taking in the sweep of his lashes against his cheek and the peaceful expression on his face.

Finally he reached over, touching a gentle hand to his shoulder and nudging him awake. Lee made a sleepy sound, his head tipping to the side as he stirred but his eyes didn't open.

"Hey, Lee," Carter said, voice hushed in the quiet closeness of the car as he shook his shoulder gently. Lee's eyes fluttered open this time and he shifted slightly.

"Carter," he mumbled, a soft smile spreading across his face. Carter had never seen him smile like that before. It was full of such tenderness that his breath caught in his throat at the sight of it.

"We're here," Carter managed to say after a long moment, gesturing vaguely towards Didi's house, far too caught up in that smile to offer much more. His hand was still on Lee's shoulder and his heart stuttered in his chest when Lee tipped his head to rest against it, looking completely out of it as his eyes closed for a moment in contentment.

"I love you," Lee said quietly, sounding half asleep, that tender smile turning somehow even more affectionate.

"What?" Carter breathed in surprised wonder, his heart speeding up as sudden euphoria sang in his veins. But it was clearly the wrong thing to say because he felt Lee tense under his hand and saw his eyes go wide as he jolted fully awake, smile sliding off of his face to be replaced by sudden alertness and panic.

"I'm sorry," he gasped out, looking more awake than he had all evening. "I thought I was dreaming. I..." He cut himself off, looking stricken.

"I'm sorry," he said again before fumbling to unclip his seat belt and reaching hurriedly for the door, clearly attempting to escape as quickly as possible. He sounded upset and Carter felt awful for how quickly he'd managed to ruin the moment.

"Whoa, hold up," he said urgently, reaching out to try and stop him before he could leave and take this opportunity with him. He managed to get a hand around Lee's wrist but his partner shook him off.

"Lee, _please_ ," Carter tried, all of his earlier happiness gone in the face of Lee's distress. Something about the desperation in his voice must have got through because Lee stilled in his seat, his hands still reaching for the door. He didn't meet Carter's eyes, instead keeping his head turned towards the door. His face was hidden from Carter's view but he didn't need to see it to imagine the upset look there.

"Lee, look at me," Carter said softly and Lee turned his head but still didn't seem able to meet his gaze. Instead, he kept his eyes downcast, his mouth tipping down with emotion that he was clearly trying not to let Carter see.

"I'm sorry," he said again, his voice cracking on the words and Carter wondered if he just didn't know what else to say.

"Hey, don't apologize," Carter told him. He reached out a hand to touch gentle fingertips to his cheek and Lee's eyes finally shot up to meet his, clear surprise showing in them at the move.

"I love you too," Carter said without preamble, once he had his attention. He felt nervous, his heart beating a fast rhythm in his chest, although he didn't know why he was worried when Lee had already admitted his feelings. Lee for his part looked stunned, his mouth opening and closing a few times as he searched for words.

"You do?" he finally said, surprise coloring his tone.

"I've been in love with you for months," Carter admitted, his mouth curling up into a fond smile. "So you can stop freaking out now."

"I..." Lee tried, looking lost for words. He hesitated for a moment, swallowing hard before finding his voice. "Can I kiss you?"

Carter simply nodded in answer, already leaning forwards and curling his hand around the back of Lee's head to pull him closer. Their mouths met and everything narrowed down to the taste of bitter coffee on Lee's tongue and the feel of his hair as Carter slid his fingers into it. For a few short moments, it felt like they could have been the only two people in the world, ensconced in their own private bubble as they traded kisses.

It wasn't long before they were pulling apart though, too tired for much more. If he had the energy, Carter would have kissed him senseless but they were both far too exhausted for that so he settled for trying that another day, filing it away with all his other daydreams that had suddenly become real possibilities.

Instead he pressed their foreheads together, wanting to keep Lee close for just a short while longer before he had to leave.

"I love you," he murmured into the space between them.

"I love you too," Lee said, his voice full of a quiet happiness that made Carter want to hold onto him and never let go.

They spent a few long moments just breathing the same air in contented silence but when Carter pulled back fully, he saw that Lee was looking sleepy again, his tiredness catching up with him once more.

"You need to sleep," Carter told him softly, reaching out to run his thumb across the dark shadow under one of his eyes. Lee closed his eyes at the touch, turning his face into Carter's hand.

"I am sorry I've been so difficult about this case," he said quietly.

"Hey, I get it," Carter said. "I know this isn't easy for you. I know what they did. But I'm here for you, okay? You don't have to shoulder this alone."

"Thank you," Lee said, his eyes opening again, and he sounded so sincere that Carter suddenly had the urge to kiss him again but he knew that if he did, they might be there a while and he didn't want to keep Lee from his sleep for much longer.

"Now go and get some sleep," he told him instead, eyeing his weary expression with concern.

Lee blinked at him slowly for a moment, but then looked away, rubbing at his eyes in an entirely adorable manner.

"Okay," he replied, tiredly. He leaned in to press a kiss to Carter's lips, soft and slow in a way that tugged at Carter's restraint, before moving back again. "I will see you tomorrow." He gave him a small smile, dampened by fatigue but still showing a happiness that even their current case couldn't ruin, and Carter's mouth turned up into a dopey grin in response.

"See you tomorrow," he answered. He watched as Lee turned and got out of the car, pausing with one hand on the door and a soft look in his eyes that Carter couldn't get enough of.

"Goodnight," Lee said quietly before closing the car door and Carter couldn't even manage to form a response past the ridiculous smile that was on his face. He waited while Lee made his way to the front door and fumbled with his keys before finally managing to get it open, glancing quickly back at Carter before disappearing inside.

"Goodnight," Carter finally said, long after Lee had gone, before starting the car again and driving away. Damn, I have it bad, he thought as he drove, unable to stop thinking about the feel of Lee's lips against his. He was still smiling sappily when he arrived home and as he collapsed into bed his last thought was of that small tender smile Lee had given as he woke up.


End file.
